Mother sent us off to Sunday school on a Sunday morning, the day before Christmas.
At this church, a missionary read the Christmas story from the book of Isaiah. She read about the Savior God promised and then eventually sent to the world.
In the corner of the church stood the most beautiful tree I had ever seen. A white display, nine feet tall, and covered with gigantic bulbs of every color, shape, and size. Long icicles glittered from the top to the bottom of the tree as bright electrical lights shined on them. The missionary was from New York, and I assumed that’s where she had gotten this beautiful tree. I could not take my eyes off it, so I sat there and gazed at the decorations while I listened to her read from the Bible.
Stacks of gifts wrapped in white paper with red ribbons were piled underneath the tree. At the end of the service, the missionary passed out the gifts and gave a roll of candy to each child. She had a gift for every child who had been to church at least once during the year.
My brother and I brought our gifts home to our humble little pine Christmas tree—the one my elder brother had chopped down two days before and dragged from the top of the mountain. He set it up in a bucket of dirt in front of the window in the room next to the living room.
My younger brother had already opened his gift from Sunday school. But I placed my gift underneath our homemade sapling and waited for Christmas day. Now there was one gift under the tree. And that one gift made a big difference. I was so happy that I skipped through the house all day.
There is another gift that has made a difference—not only for me but also for all who will receive it. Our heavenly Father sent that gift when Jesus stepped out of eternity. At the cross, He poured out His life so we could have life. Now, we have an opportunity to become the children of God and inherit eternal life with Him. That gift has made a difference to a dark and broken world.
Have you received God’s most precious gift?
(Photo courtesy of pixabay.)
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Dorothy Waldon is new to the world of writing. She has a degree in office technology and enjoys church. She and her husband, Bennie, are blessed with two grown children, and they all reside in Northern Texas. Dorothy loves nature. If you can’t find her in the flower garden caring for her plants, she’ll be at the piano, playing her most favorite hymns. She enjoys visiting with family and friends.